Computer Hardware/Accessories

Posted by Chad Criswell

Podcasting is incredibly popular these days and getting started as an amateur broadcaster could not be easier. Using the equipment and software that comes bundled with your computer a person can produce a decent quality podcast with almost no difficulty. For those that want a little more quality and control however, Behringer has released its Podcast Studio, an all-in-one podcasting package that includes headphones, microphone, stand, mixer, and cables for around $150. The audio quality is probably far better than what a user would get with Microsoft Sound Recorder or if using the cheap microphone that comes with most PCs.

Posted by Chad Criswell

There are hundreds of things that should and can be incorporated into USB based devices. There are also many hundreds of things that shouldn’t be, and the USB Pregnancy Tester is one of them. Perhaps borrowing a cue from the latest in electronic pregnancy tests that are now available at your local pharmacy, the O-Tec USB Pregnancy Test costs less than $20 but works the same way traditional tests work. Now the question is, do you really want to put this thing in your thousand dollar computer after you have done your business on it?

Posted by Chad Criswell

With all the high technology that went in to creating the first thumb sized flash drives a person would think that someone would have considered just how vulnerable they are to losing the cap. I carry an Ultra FlyDrive with me everywhere I go, and on more than one occasion I have lost the protective cap that goes over the connector. Without the cap a flash drive is vulnerable to dust, dirt, and accidental damage so it is really important to keep the cap on it when not in use. For those of us that seem to lose the caps on a daily basis a company named RooKaps has come to the rescue with stylish and vibrantly colored replacements.

The RooKaps come in multipacks of four for as little as $6. Other options are available including caps that come already attached to lanyards. While the caps are cool, the lanyard idea leaves me worried. I would rather have a cap fall off of my thumb drive and be lost forever than my thumb drive fall off of the cap. They are also quoted as being made from an electrostatic disapative material, to help prevent data loss due to static discharge, but to my knowledge I have never seen this as a problem with thumb drives. Still, if you need a replacement usb drive cap these little caps will help keep the lid on your precious data.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Most thumb drives come equipped with a small cap to protect the USB connector from damage while not in the computer. The problems with these little caps is that they are so... LITTLE! It is very easy to forget about the cap or have it fall off entirely as it hangs around your neck. I have used several different methods of preserving my caps (such as supergluing a small piece of string between the cap and body of the thumb drive). None of these methods work for very long and eventually the cap goes missing. Not long after the end of the thumb drive inevitably gets damaged.

SanDisk and other vendors are now coming out with thumb drives encased in a retractable shell (similar to a utility knife setup) where the USB connector can be pulled back into the body of the drive when not plugged into a computer. The SanDisk Cruzer Titanium comes with the U3 software suite installed on it to provide quick and easy access to portable applications such as your email and browsing software. The Cruzer sells for more than thumb drives of comparable size, but the durability of the unit adds to its value and overal attractiveness.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For anyone to be willing to pay $100 for a computer mouse it must be packed full of features that go beyond simple scrolling or page navigation. The new Microsoft Mobile Mouse 8000 does its best to make the buy a good deal, but even so, it still may not be worth a Benjamin in order to put this thing on your desk.

The Mobile Mouse 8000 does have some very interesting additions to it's package. The small, ergonomically designed wireless mouse is comfortable while still offering a variety of user assignable buttons and rechargable NMH batteries. Unlike many other wireless mice the batteries are recharges through a magnetic dongle that retracts into the 2.4 gigahertz receiver. To bolster the high price tag Microsoft has incorporated optional Bluetooth connectivity into the unit as well as the ability to mouse on almost any surface including glass.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Silly and idotic uses for USB computer connections abound. I have written in the past about such mindless diversions of a person's time and money, items such as the USB aromatherapy diffuser and the all important USB beverage warmer. But at least these items had a purpose...

The new USB Punch Head is a device that claims to help you release some of that ugly stress that is clogging your life, but in truth it is just plain ugly. Punching the little plastic head sends a signal to the computer which in turn lets out a shreek of pain and distorts a photo of your choice. The web site includes a video demo and shots of Bin Laden and Bush as examples. All in all a complete (and ugly) waste of time. Still, you have to give the company credit, it is definately a "unique," little gadget.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Now that the Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD war is over with companies are beginning to push to market the latest and greatest in PC based high capacity BD-Rom drives.The newest Blu-Ray burner from Buffalo promises to be able to burn a full BD-R disc in around 50 minutes, and is capable of using rewritable media as well.Other new Blu-Ray drives are also being shipped by companies such as Phillips and Lite-On.The Phillips drive is not a burner, but it can read Blu-Ray and standard DVD-Rom discs at comparable speeds to the Buffalo model.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Not too long ago I blogged about a new accessory called the Eco-Button, essentially an external sleep button that when pressed tells your computer to go to sleep to conserve energy.In that post I pointed out that most keyboards now have a sleep button on them somewhere and to be honest, a special hotkey combination will do the same thing.Now however there is a new cousin to the Eco-Button that might actually have some merit to buying it.



The ProxMat USB Mat can perform the same function as the sleep button on your keyboard (or Eco-Button) but it does it automatically when you get up from your computer.The mat rests under the user's feet and is pressure sensitive.The mat can be set to send almost any keypress or sequence to the computer when the mat is stepped on, and a different combination when the user leaves.This would be incredibly useful for public access computer terminals to prevent identity theft.When a user leaves the station the ProxMat can automatically log them out, preventing someone else from walking up and having access to whatever programs or files they forgot to close when they left.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For anyone that is considering buying a new keyboard and has over $1500 to spend on it you might want to take a look at the new Optimus Maximus keyboard from Russian artist Art Lebedev. Each of its 113 keys is a tiny 32x32 pixel OLED screen. The images on the keys are controlled by a memory card that is inserted into the back of the keyboard. In this manner the keyboard can be reformatted for almost any application or use.

As of right now no one but the people that preordered the keyboard will be able to get ahold of one except for those willing to pay an even greater premium for buying one off of Ebay. The keyboard itself sells for $1564 but one unit recently sold on Ebay for $2700!

Posted by Chad Criswell

Following on the heels of products such as the Eco-Strip and Belkin’s new green oriented power strip, the Eco Button is being marketed as a strong visual reminder to help you save electricity every time you leave your computer sitting idle. Although the Eco Button is quite eye catching it is essentially a glorified Sleep button which performs a function similar to the sleep button that is already built in to most computer keyboards. One has to wonder if in the future keyboard manufacturers will seize on this obvious point and begin tailoring their sleep buttons in a more eye catching manner.

The Eco Button web site provides a very eye catching flash movie showing just how much CO2 it believes could be saved if everyone in Great Britain used its product. On a global scale the estimates are even more impressive yet one has to wonder just how much of a carbon footprint the manufacture of these devices would have on such a global scale? In the end, it is probably much more effective to make a nice big colored sign to remind you to hit the sleep button rather than shell out a penny on such a redundant device.